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Friday Ekpo and Sani Adamu have joined the growing list of ex-internationals and prominent stakeholders who have endorsed former Super Eagles’ prolific striker, Benedict Akwuegbu, to become the next president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Other veterans and notable stakeholders who had earlier thrown their weights behind the former Grazer AK of Austria and RC Lens of France striker include Emmanuel Amuneke, Nwankwo Kanu, Sam Pam Jnr, Bitrus Bewarang, Mike Idoko, and Godwin Uwua, among others.
Friday Ekpo, ex-Super Eagles and defunct Leventis United FC of Ibadan midfield maestro, said he has absolute confidence in Akwuegbu to turn around the fortunes of Nigerian football, considering his playing and administrative experience.
He said, “Akwuegbu played football at the World Cup and Nations Cup levels. He has been funding football clubs and academies for a long time. He is well educated and exposed, so there’s nothing he cannot achieve. He has a standard blueprint for grassroots football development. “Veterans like us have the belief that Akwuegbu can fix Nigerian football. Politicians must give way for the true stakeholders to run our football. We have agreed to rally round our man who knows where the shoe pinches. True stakeholders should work towards total reforms that would guarantee a free and level playing field”.
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Similarly, gangling ex-international, Sanni Adamu, who played his club football with JIB Rocks and Plateau United FC of Jos, stressed the need for top National Sports Commission (NSC) and NFF officials to fully cooperate in setting up a credible NFF board
“Without mincing words, many veteran football players are impressed with the track record of Akwuegbu, so no official should scuttle our dream of a genuine stakeholder heading the NFF board. Genuine stakeholders are ready to support programmes that would regig our football.
“Doctors , carpenters, lawyers, and politicians should not be targeting to lead a federation where footballers are major actors. Besides, With a B.Sc Hons degree and a certificate in Health Science in Europe, Akwuegbu has proved a great manager of players and others. It’s obvious now that only credible ex-players can correct the several setbacks in Nigerian Football. Grassroots development, provision of standard coaching programmes, accountability, and involvement of credible stakeholders at the right positions have been properly mapped out by Akwuegbu in his long established trademark of taking everyone along”, said Adamu, who was in the Golden Eaglets squad that won the maiden FIFA Under 17 World Cup in China in 1985.
